Recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala - Lightened Up

Some of you may have noticed that Kate and I regularly cook and review a lot of Mexican, Italian and American cuisine. For some reason, Indian food has not made it in the regular rotation yet. It's not a "go-to" option for me when I'm deciding where to go out to eat or what to cook. On the rare occasion that I do get Indian food, I always order the chicken tikka masala and I loooove it. I'm not sure why I don't get it more often!

While perusing on Pinterest recently, I found a recipe for a lightened up version of chicken tikka masala from the blog Skinnytaste and decided to give it a try. As I mentioned, I don't have a lot of experience cooking Indian food, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised! It was fantastic and was really low fat. I will definitely be making this again!

Ingredients:
2 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, minced (I did not use this)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
4 oz. fat free plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric (optional - I skipped this)
1/2 tbsp chili powder
Salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (more or less to taste)

Start out by heating the oil in a large skillet. If you like onions (gross! jk), add those and cook until about golden. Next add the ginger and stir together with the onions for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and let that cook for another minute. Add the cumin, garam masala (which I couldn't find at my Kroger's - had to go to Fresh Market), turmeric, chili powder and salt. This will cook for about 2 minutes. Next stir in the tomatoes, yogurt and milk and let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes. The sauce will have thickened at this point. Add the chicken and let it simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Now it's ready to serve! I served it on top of brown rice and put quite a bit of the fresh cilantro on top. I absolutely love cilantro, so you may not want that much if you're not a big fan. Feel free to add veggies to it as well! You could even make it a vegetarian dish with all veggies.

Enjoy!!

~Kris

Recipe: Brussel Sprouts, Apples and Bacon

Brussel sprouts have always been a bit intimidating to me. Sounds silly, but my mom doesn't like them and therefore never cooked them for us, so I had no one to show me how to make them. Recently, thanks to my brother's girlfriend, I've gotten over my fear of brussel sprouts. And thank goodness...because they are soooo good!! The following recipe is one of my favorites. I found it on Pinterest (if you aren't aware of this website already, you better catch up. It's amazing!). Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 slices of bacon, chopped

4 pints brussel sprouts

1 apple, cored and diced

S&P

3 tsp red wine vinegar

The original recipe says to start by cooking the bacon in the oven on 425 degrees. I used microwavable bacon, so I didn't do this step. I have to confess that I actually used Morningstar bacon for this recipe. I'm obviously not a vegetarian, but I like the Morningstar products and I eat the bacon for breakfast sometimes so it's what I had on hand. Real bacon would be better (of couse), but it was still excellent with the faux bacon.

To prep the brussel sprouts, you peel off the first couple of leaves and cut the bottoms off. For this particular dish, I halved them as well, but that's not always necessary.

Once they're prepped and ready to go, I like to cook them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. The recipe doesn't mention this step, but I like to do this so they soften a little before I roast them. Once you remove them from the boiling water, toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in the oven at about 450 degrees. I put them on a foil-lined sheet pan to make clean up a little easier.

They'll roast for about 10-15 minutes until they just barely start to brown. Then add your diced apples and put them back in the oven to continue roasting for another 10 minutes or until they brussel sprouts are browned and the apples are softened. Once you remove them from the oven, toss them immediately in the red wine vinegar and salt (if it needs more) and serve!!!



Delicious!!!!

 ~Kris

Recipe: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

I recently tried a new recipe that is not too difficult (if you don't mind a little chopping), tastes delish and is not too bad for you!! It was originally published in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe makes quite a large batch, especially if you're cooking for one, so I had plenty of leftovers for lunches, dinners, etc.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups andouille sausage, sliced

3 cups finely chopped red bell peppers

3 cups finely chopped yellow onion (I omitted this due to my hatred for onions)

2 cups finely chopped celery

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups chopped boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used a whole tsp of crushed red pepper flakes because I love them) 

3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 cup tomato puree 

2 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth  

Start by heating the oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch-oven and add the sausage. I used chicken andouille sausage that was pre-cooked, so I only left it in the oil for a few minutes to brown it a little. Next add the celery, red peppers, onions and bay leaves. It should look like this (except I used a big pot, not a dutch oven):

Once the vegetables have browned and start to squeak (about 14 minutes), add chicken and next 8 ingredients (through garlic). Cook another 4 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 2 minutes. Next, add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. At this point, the recipe says to add 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice. I was trying to avoid a lot of carbs, so I skipped this step. I did serve it over brown rice the first night I made it. When I ate the leftovers, I ate it more like soup without the rice and it was just as good, if not better. 

After this step is complete, cover the dish, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Then you can DIG IN!! Don't forget to discard the bay leaves before serving!

Yum yum!!! Enjoy!

~Kris

Guest Blog: Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Thank you so much to my dear friend, Lauren for a great guest blog today!! Sounds delicious and can't wait to try it!
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As someone who lives alone, I do a LOT of cooking for one. And while it’s sometimes fun to put together a big, complicated meal, most days I’m lucky just to avoid the drive-thru on my way home from work.

Which is why I love recipes like the following for Mexican Stuffed Peppers. These peppers are easy to make, super tasty and have enough “everyday” ingredients to whip up at the last minute. Plus, the recipe makes more than enough for a single meal… in other words, the next day’s dinner is already taken care of!

Mexican Rice and Bean Stuffed Peppers (serves two)

Approximately 1 Tbl oil (I use vegetable oil)

½ an onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 bell peppers, any color (I like red or yellow – the colors just pop!)

Pinch of ground cumin and oregano

1 cup cooked rice

One-half of a can of kidney beans, drained

1 cup (4 oz.) grated Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese

One small can of diced green chilies

Salsa, any kind (I used Frontera brand double-roasted tomato salsa)
In a skillet, heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft and onions are slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Slide stem ends from peppers and remove seeds. Chop tops and add to skillet and sauté another 3-5 minutes.

Stir in cumin, oregano, rice, beans and chilies.

Let cool for about five minutes while preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Stuff peppers with rice mixture.

Place side by side in a shallow casserole dish. Top liberally with salsa and bake for 35-40 minutes.

NOTE: This recipe always makes PLENTY of stuffing, so just put the remainder in a Pyrex dish, top it with salsa and cook it along side the peppers. You can also parboil the peppers for five minutes prior to stuffing, which makes the peppers a little softer, but be sure to drain and cool before stuffing so you don’t burn your fingertips!

VARIATIONS: Kick up the spice factor by adding a dash or two of chili powder (or even a dash of pepper sauce, like Tobasco) with the rest of the spices. You can also make this a meat-lovers recipe by adding chorizo sausage (one link, casing removed and meat crumbled into the pan) or ground/chicken/turkey with the onion and garlic… just give it a few extra minutes to cook thoroughly and to drain the fat before adding the rest of the ingredients. If you add meat, just remember there will be a lot more stuffing and you may need an extra pepper or two.
Serve with clips and salsa, the rest of the kidney beans and chilies (heated through in the microwave and topped with a spritz of lime juice).

Recipe: Cherry Tomato Couscous

Until recently I had never made couscous. I'm not sure why, but I've always been intimidated by it, which seems incredibly ridiculous now that I've made it. It really is so simple. I'll probably use it in place of rice or pasta for a lot of dishes in the future.

For my first couscous cooking experience, I found a recipe on 101 Cookbooks for Cherry Tomato Couscous. I thought it sounded unique, not too difficult, and I had all the ingredients on hand. It turned out great!

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked couscous ( I used pearl Isreali couscous, which is a little bigger than the regular)
1/2 basket of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 lemon, cut in half
1 lime, cut in half
about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup basil or cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Once you've cooked your couscous (follow package instructions - similar to cooking rice), you'll combine it with your chickpeas, cucumbers and tomatoes. I had regular tomatoes on hand that I chopped up instead of using cherry tomatoes that the recipe calls for. I think either of them would work in this dish. Also, I used whole wheat couscous to make it a little healthier.

Next, squeeze the lemon and lime juice directly into the bowl; then add the olive oil and salt and pepper. I confess that I didn't have lime juice, so I used only lemon juice. I think it was completely fine without the lime juice; however it may have been better with it - I really can't say. Maybe I'll try it with both next time. Now, all you have to do is toss it all together and top it with the feta cheese and fresh basil, which I picked from my garden.

This is a great recipe and makes for a unique but delicious side dish - perfect for a dinner party or cookout. It also makes for great leftovers. I had it for lunch a few days throughout the week.

Enjoy!

~Kris

Recipe: Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

I just tried a great new recipe that I had to share with you all! It's very simple, healthy and delicious! I found it in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe can be found online here, but I typed it all out for you below. 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup uncooked orzo
3 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cup trimmed arugula
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion (which I omit because I hate them)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
6 tbsp crumbled goat cheese

Start off by cooking your orzo pasta. If your chicken isn't already cooked, you'll want to do that while the pasta is cooking. Next, make sure all your veggies and herbs are washed and chopped as called for in the recipe. Once everything is prepped and ready to go, combine the pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl and toss.
Combine your vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk it together. Drizzle it over the top of your pasta mixture, toss and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

This is so delicious, simple and versatile. You could really add a lot of different veggies and herbs to this depending on what you have on hand. You may notice in the photos that I added spinach to mine instead of arugula. I know they taste completely different, but I didn't have arugula so I thought it was better than no leafy greens at all. One tip: next time, I would saute the peppers and tomatoes a little before adding them. That way they're not raw and not as crunchy. Other than that, it was great and perfect for leftovers throughout the week! Enjoy!

~ Kris

Recipe: Hot Chicken Salad

One of my all-time favorite meals that my mom makes is Hot Chicken Salad. It's so simple, yet so delicious!! It's really more like a casserole than a salad, but who cares about semantics! This recipe takes very little time to make and most of the ingredients are things you already have on hand. And I love that you can make it ahead of time. It's perfect to serve to guests or bring to a potluck....however, I will warn you (and you'll see in the photo) that the presentation is not so beautiful. But what it lacks in presentation, it makes up for in taste!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup slivered almonds 

4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed 

2 cups celery, diced  

1 tbsp minced onion (I omit this due to my hatred for onions!)
1 tsp pimento (I also omit this because I don't think they're necessary and I never have them on hand)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup mayo
1 can cream of chicken soup

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt & Pepper 

Literally, all you have to do is combine all the ingredients and pour them into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. That's it! Easy as pie! You can also add a handful of crushed potato chips on top at the end of baking for an added crunch.

You can make this a little "healthier" by using low moisture, part skim cheddar cheese, light mayonaisse, and 98% fat free cream of chicken soup. Then you can eat it without all the guilt!

Enjoy!

~Kris

Recipe: Greek Stuffed Peppers

I’m always looking for good vegetarian or seafood dishes to prepare, especially during Fridays in Lent. I just came across a good one and thought I’d share. I found this on Eating Well online. The ingredients are pretty simple and there’s nothing complicated about the preparation.  

4 servings 

Ingredients:

-          4 yellow orange, yellow, and/or red bell peppers

-          ½ cup whole wheat orzo

-          1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed

-          1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-          1 medium onion, chopped

-          6 oz. baby spinach, chopped

-          1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried

-          ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

-          ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

-          1 tbsp sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar

-          ¼ tsp salt

Start by cutting the peppers in half – lengthwise through the stem. Remove all the seeds and membrane so the inside is completely clear. 

Arrange them cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish with about ½ inch of water in the bottom. Microwave until the peppers are soft, about 7-9 minutes. Let them cool slightly, drain them and set aside. (Of note, I cut the recipe in half, so I only did two peppers.)   

While you’re waiting for those in the microwave, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add your orzo. Let it cook for about 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

When the orzo and peppers are underway, mash the chickpeas until they make a chunky paste, making sure to leave some of the chickpeas whole.

Next, heat your oil in a skillet over medium heat and add your onions. Of course, I omitted this step since I hate onions; however, I did add minced garlic and crushed red pepper at this point. The recipe didn’t call for either of these, but I would highly recommend adding both of them – especially the garlic. I put garlic in just about everything I cook, and it definitely makes sense in this dish. After a couple minutes, add the chopped spinach and oregano and let it cook until the spinach wilts. Stir in the cooked orzo, chickpeas, ½ cup feta (save the rest for the end), sundried tomatoes, vinegar and salt. Cook for about 1 minute until it’s all heated through. Your mixture should look like this:

Grab your peppers and spoon the mixture into each one. Sprinkle the rest of the feta over the top of each pepper and serve!

There are a lot of possibilities with this dish, depending on the ingredients you have on hand. If you have artichokes, you could chop those up and add them to the dish. Also, if you want to add meat, you could finely chop chicken and mix that in. Fresh herbs like basil would be a nice addition. Experiment!  

This was delicious, easy, versatile and healthy! Enjoy!

~ Kris 

Recipe: Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2011 is to try at least one new recipe each week. It has actually been a lot of fun and makes me step outside my cooking comfort zone. I’ll be sure to blog about any of the good ones along the way, so stay tuned!

For Christmas, I conveniently got a subscription to Cooking Light magazine from my aunt, which has been great for my New Year’s resolution. I absolutely love this magazine and would definitely recommend getting a subscription to this magazine to anyone who likes to cook. It’s full of great recipes that are healthy, easy to make and delicious!

When I received my Jan/Feb issue, I knew I wanted to try the Chicken with Mushroom Sauce. It turned out really well and was incredibly easy, and the best part was that I already had most of the ingredients on hand. I only had to purchase the fresh thyme.

INGREDIENTS

4 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 tsp canola oil

½ tsp salt, divided

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup chopped shallots

1 (8 oz) package presliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)

2 minced garlic cloves

½ cup dry white wine

1 ½ tsp all-purpose flour

¾ cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp minced fresh thyme

1.      Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to ½ inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

2.      Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer chicken to serving platter; keep warm.

3.      Add shallots and mushrooms to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen brown bits; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid almost evaporates. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with remaining ¼ tsp salt and flour, cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove pan from heat; add butter and thyme, stirring until butter melts. Serve with chicken. Yield: 4 servings (1 serving= 1 chicken breast half and 1/3 cup of sauce).

Sorry the picture isn't great!

If you like mushrooms, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this recipe. And one serving is only 290 calories and 10.5g fat! Enjoy!  

~Kris

Super Bowl Sunday

There's nothing I love more than an excuse for a party with excessive amounts of food (and drinks!), and Super Bowl Sunday is no exception! I threw a small get together at my house this year, and of course, had to have a huge spread of food. My white chicken chili always gets RAVE reviews and it actually won a chili contest at my work, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with that one. Several people asked for the recipe throughout the evening, so I think it's safe to say this was a crowd pleaser yet again. It's soooo easy and can be made ahead of time, which is a huge plus in my book because I'm always running around like a chicken with my head cut off whenever I throw a party. 

White Chicken Chili ("brown" chicken chili would probably be a more fitting name but doesn't sound very appetizing)

Ingredients:

1 can diced green chiles

1/2 cup diced onions

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

1/2 tsp cumin

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts shredded or cubed (I prefer shredded)

1 can corn drained

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cup chicken broth

1 cup salsa (I use medium or hot for a little extra "kick")

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp sugar

2 tsp chili powder

Cilantro

Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

(See what I mean by easy? All you have to do is open a bunch of cans!)

I'll first start out by saying that I absolutely despise onions. Very unfortunate, I know, because they are in just about everything. So needless to say, I omit the onions from this recipe, but I included them here since most people like onions. To make the chili, you start by sauting the green chiles, onions and cumin in the EVOO. Once that's finished (just a few minutes), you add the next 9 ingredients (up to chili powder) and let it cook for at least 30 minutes. I add a little Frank's Red Hot and red pepper flakes to mine for a little added spice. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese, and you've got a winner! How easy is that??  

Of course, Kate and her husband made an appearance at my Super Bowl party and brought an awesome homemade salsa to share. Well, I should clarify and say that I heard from the other party-goers that it was awesome. I didn't actually try it because it had lots of fresh, diced red onions (the worst kind for onion-haters!). I'll let Kate tell you about that...

I completely agree with what Kris said...her white chicken chili was awesome!  It really was one of the best ones I have ever had.  I really liked the corn and had just enough spice!  Now, I love all salsas.  I like spicy salsa, fresh salsa, fruit salsa, you name it.  I thought it might be nice for something a little fresher for a super bowl party.  I have made it in the past and have always gotten compliments.  This too is a pretty easy recipe, as long as you don't mind doing a little chopping!  I got this recipe from one of those little pocket magazines at the check-out lines in Kroger, I love those!

Creamy Black Bean Salsa

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cup of frozen corn thawed

1 cup of sweet red pepper chopped small

3/4 cup green pepper chopped small

3/4 cup red onion chopped

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayo

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

All you do is chop everything up, make sure you rinse and drain the corn and black beans, and toss it together.  Serve with any tortillia chips you want!  It's so easy and has a little kick to it.  It's also a great summer time appetizer or you could even pack a little to take for lunch!  If you want to make it a bit healthier, you could take out the mayo and sour cream and add a tablespoon of lime juice or even open up a can of diced tomatoes (I like the ones with green chiles).